Deputy Accused Of Beating Innocent Man With Baton

(Clarksdale,MS) A Coahoma County deputy is facing felony charges, accused of beating an innocent man with his baton.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation says Deputy Deandre Walton assaulted the Clarksdale man while on-duty and in uniform. The victim spent the night of June 23 at the MED.

“My jawbone,” said Tommy Melton. “I can’t open the side of my mouth.”

It’s not just what happened, it’s who Melton says did it that’s left him not just in pain but in fear.

“He came into to her bedroom. He hit me,” he said. “I’m afraid for me and my family. I don’t know what they’re capable of.”

Melton says he was attacked by an on-duty Coahoma County Sheriff’s deputy. He says it happened when he was visiting his 16-year-old daughter at his ex-girlfriend’s house. The woman is more recently the ex-girlfriend of Deputy Deandre Walton.

“He had stolen the key and let himself in,” said Melton.

Melton says few words were spoken before Deputy Walton pulled out his baton and hit him in the face. He says Walton even threatened to kill him, reaching for his department-issued gun but Melton said he grabbed Walton’s hand and wouldn’t let go.

“It could’ve been worse,” he said.

When it was all over, Melton had to be airlifted to the MED, “I have a fractured cheekbone, which I haven’t been able to eat really.”

“To see my brother go through this type of pain right here, it’s stressful on me,” said Tommy’s brother, Davalin Melton.

Melton and his family say they are aching for justice.

“For him to be hit with a metal object, no one deserves to be treated like that,” said Davalin.

“I just hope he gets what he deserves,” said Melton.

Because Walton was on-duty and in uniform when this alleged attack occurred, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation says a special hearing must be held where a judge determines if there is probable cause to arrest him. The hearing is supposed to happen in the next few weeks.

MBI says Walton has been suspended from the Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department.